- By Alex Kleiderman & Noor Nanji
- ` News
December 15, 2023
Updated 37 minutes ago
TV sports quiz show Question of Sport has been canceled after more than 50 years on air, the ` has confirmed.
The company said production on the show had stopped and “difficult decisions” had to be made.
However, a ` spokesman stressed it was “not the final whistle” and the program could be broadcast again in the future.
The first episode of the ` One program aired in 1970 and was hosted by David Vine.
In the 1970s, “Question of Sport” was off screens for two years, but has been in continuous production since 1978.
It was one of the most popular shows in the 1980s when David Coleman was the host – Princess Anne's appearance as one of the guests in 1987 recorded its highest ever viewership of 19 million.
Former tennis player Sue Barker took over as host in 1997 and hosted for 24 years before being replaced by actor Paddy McGuinness in 2021.
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Sue Barker – seen here with team captains Matt Dawson and Phil Tufnell – stepped down as host in 2020
“Question of Sport” also underwent a makeover, with non-sports celebrities invited as guests.
The most recent team captains were British ice hockey star Sam Quek and former England rugby union international Ugo Monye.
Former team captains include rugby union players Matt Dawson and Sir Bill Beaumont, cricketers Ian Botham and Phil Tufnell, and former footballers Ally McCoist and Emlyn Hughes.
The ` said that “difficult decisions have to be made due to inflation and funding issues, which is why Question of Sport is not currently being produced”.
The decision to halt production is believed to be related to declining viewership and low viewership on iPlayer.
Viewership fell below one million last year, after regularly reaching four to five million under Barker.
Reacting to the news, Sir Bill, who captained the show for 14 years, said: “I still enjoy the show. I think it’s a shame that it’s coming to an end now, it’s sad because it’s the end of an era.”
“It’s amazing how many people come up to me now when I drive through train stations and things like that.” [say] “I always watch it with my dad.”
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Paddy McGuinness is the youngest presenter of Question of Sport
A spokesperson for the company insisted the show “is not being canceled – it’s just not currently in production.”
He gave the example of another quiz show, “The Weakest Link,” which had production gaps.
“Question of Sport will not appear on any other channel,” he added. “It is the intellectual property of the `.”
The decision to ax Question of Sport comes just weeks after the ` announced its flagship motoring show Top Gear would not be returning “for the foreseeable future”.
In a statement in November, the ` said it had “decided to pause the British broadcast.”
Top Gear presenter Andrew “Freddie” Flintoff was seriously injured in an accident while filming the show last year.
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